Bennett Signals Flexibility Over Opposition Leadership Ahead of Next Election

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said on Thursday morning that he is prepared to do “whatever is required” as opposition figures debate how to build a winning bloc for the next election. In an interview on Kan Reshet Bet, he was asked whether he would let former minister and reserve chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot lead the anti-Netanyahu camp, and answered firmly that he would act flexibly if needed.

Bennett argued that the only way the opposition can defeat the current government and form an alternative coalition is by placing at its head someone who has already served as prime minister and who also holds conservative views. In his words, the right formula is to “put at the top of the ‘repair bloc’ someone who was prime minister, with right-wing views.”

He also addressed how centrist and left-wing voters could back a candidate with clearly right-wing positions. Bennett said he has changed over time, but insisted his core views remain unchanged. “I have evolved,” he said, “I still hold clear right-wing positions on security and diplomacy.”

Bennett’s remarks were aimed at voters in the center-left camp, which he said is the practical key to replacing the current leadership. He argued that the “repair bloc” can win only if it is led by someone with right-wing security views, even if many of its voters do not share those views.